Tea vendor offers free Wi-Fi to poor students

Chai pe Wi-Fi? A small tea vendor in Siruguppa, one of the backward taluks of Ballari district, is drawing in young crowds with a new scheme: buy a chai at Rs 5, use free Wi-Fi for half an hour.TNN | October 21, 2016, 09:47 IST

Hubballi: Chai pe Wi-Fi? A small tea vendor in Siruguppa, one of the backward taluks of Ballari district, is drawing in young crowds with a new scheme: buy a chai at Rs 5, use free Wi-Fi for half an hour. He helpfully gives the password to his clients.

Sayyad Khader Basha says it is his way of helping poor college students access the internet.

"I started a small tea stall for my livelihood a few months ago. I found many poor students are finding it difficult to access the internet since they cannot afford to pay Rs 200-300 for internet packages. Neither can they afford to visit cyber cafes at Rs 30-40 per hour. It is my way of helping them in their studies," said Basha.

He installed a Wi-Fi connection for Rs 5,000 and pays Rs 1,250 every month for the facility. More than 40 students are making use of it, downloading notes, searching for jobs, and updating WhatsApp and Facebook accounts. Basha feels he should not exploit the students by charging more than Rs 5 per cup of tea. "I give them the password and observe them, and after half an hour, I politely ask them to stop browsing. I change the password every day to avoid misuse of the facility," he added.

Basha may have inadvertently made tea a very popular beverage. He knows the pitfalls of such a venture, and keeps watch on each student to ensure they don't surf porn sites. "If they do, I send them out immediately and don't allow them to use it again in my hotel," he said.

"Basha's stall is popular and helps many students. I have a smartphone, but cannot afford an internet pack, so I use his Wi-Fi facility to search for jobs," said Praveen, a final-year BCom student of First Grade Degree College, Siruguppa.

Said Gopal C, another student, "I use this facility to update my Facebook account and operate WhatsApp. Earlier, I used to go to a cyber cafe and pay Rs 30 to 40 for an hour. Now, I can browse for half an hour by having a cup of tea."

Shrishailappa, a PU student, said it is good move by the tea vendor. "It helps poor students like me. I download study material and also check my Facebook account."

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